Conventionally, when printing, a user sets printing process parameters (called print settings) using a user interface (UI) of a printer driver. In a printer driver of this type, a process to be performed on the print data can be set using the print settings. At the time of this setting, the printer driver displays a menu on the user interface that is limited to a combination of settable setting values (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-85422). In addition, there is also that which performs such processing as checking the combination of setting values and if there is a contradiction revising the setting values so that the contradiction is eliminated (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-215353).
The processing of image data sometimes produces different results depending on the order of processing with other processes. Nevertheless, the order of processing of the print data in the conventional printer driver is fixed, and an operator cannot specify the order of processing. Consequently, depending on the order and combination of processes, it sometimes happens that the output results intended by the user cannot be obtained.